[ "I JUST WANT A FULL MP BAR IN ANOTHER WORLD" ]

Chapter 8: The Reason for the Scar

The most dangerous truth... is not the truth we reveal...

but the half-truth we create to protect ourselves...

Because a wall built from beautiful lies...

is always more fragile than the wreckage that accepts reality.

— From "Critiques of an Exiled Historian"

After I applied the "Bio-Energy Neutralizer" to the dark elf girl's wound... the spreading blackness truly came to a halt. Her breathing became regular, and her fever slowly subsided. My mother... Elena... deftly cleaned the remaining wound and bandaged it, before gently feeding her some warm herbal soup, which she managed to eat a little of before drifting off to sleep in exhaustion.

When everything had settled... my father... Aether... called me into his shed alone. The lamplight illuminated the serious look in his eyes.

"Faelix... I need an explanation."

I had prepared myself... but I would never tell him about [Gaze of Structure] or my past life.

"I... 'observed' it, Father," I began. "When Mother was treating her wound... I saw that the blackened flesh... it was 'moving' slowly... like it was some kind of tiny living thing."

"So I remembered what you and Mother taught me..." I started to connect the knowledge I already possessed in this world.

"You once said that if a 'Sunstone' is left near a small plant for too long, its leaves will 'burn' and 'wither' and die... So I thought, if it can harm a plant... it could probably harm the 'tiny living things' in that wound as well."

"But I was also afraid... that if I only used the Sunstone... it might be too strong and harm her too."

"That's when I remembered the 'Night Lotus,' which Mother said helps with 'restful sleep' and 'calmness'... I guessed that... if I mixed its sap in... it might help 'reduce the harshness' of the Sunstone... making it gentle enough not to harm her... but still strong enough to deal with the poison."

I didn't explain the true mechanism... but crafted a "logic" that was plausible by combining the knowledge my father and mother had given me. It made my actions seem like a "principled guess" from an observant child, rather than knowledge beyond my years.

[Behind Faelix's thoughts (unspoken):]

• [Gaze of Structure] showed me this poison works in two stages: one, 'Replication,' and two, 'Consumption' of energy.

• Sunstone (radiation) would 'destroy the structure,' stopping it from replicating.

• Night Lotus (enzyme inhibitor) would 'block' the energy consumption.

• I needed both to stop it completely... using only one wouldn't be enough. The skill also indicated that the sap of the Night Lotus has properties to 'coat' and 'protect' the surrounding tissue, which would help reduce the side effects from the Sunstone...

• I calculated the safest 'dosage' from the data I saw... a 3:1 ratio was the optimal point.

My father listened to my explanation in silence... His gaze gradually softened... from suspicion to an awe mingled with concern.

"...You observed and thought all that through?" he murmured, before placing a large hand on my head.

"Sometimes... I worry that this world will be too small for you, my son."

[...Your Bond with 'Aether' has deepened...]

[...You have become aware of your 'Father's Concern'... Understanding of 'Family' has increased...]

[...WIS increased by 2 points...]

The next morning...

I woke up to find that the girl had recovered. She was sitting up, leaning against the headboard... Mother was just about to feed her some soup.

When she saw me... she froze for a moment.

I walked closer... not knowing what to say...

Then, she was the one to speak first... her voice was hoarse but still held a crystalline quality.

"...Thank you."

It was a short phrase... but it was clear.

I nodded in acknowledgment...

She stared at me silently... before adding softly.

"...My name is... Lunaria."

And then she closed her eyes... drifting off to sleep again in exhaustion...

Knock... Knock... Knock...

It was then... that a knock sounded at the front door...

A heavy, rhythmic knock... not the familiar sound of a neighbor.

My father and I looked at each other... a bad feeling swept over me.

The uninvited guest... had arrived sooner than expected.